Yu-Gi-Oh GX Tag Force
by Soren Lysander
Summary: Soren Lysander is a scarlet haired, hetero chromatic-eyed duelist with a lot of potential. Join him and see how he seeks out the secrets that lay dormant not only in Duel Monsters, but Duel Academy as well. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh in any way, shape, or form. T for language.[Discontinued, read update chapter for details.]
1. Chapter 1: Under The Mask

Chapter 1: Under the Mask

Soren Lysander sat in the bleachers of the stadium that so many others like himself had gathered in. Kaiba Land, they called this place. In the duel arenas below Soren could see all manner of strategy being used. Effect damage, deck capping, and even direct attack focused decks all being used for the sole purpose of gaining entrance to one of the many prestigious duels schools in the world, Duel Academy. The entrance exam was divided into two categories, a written and a practical.

"Examinee Number 15, Soren Lysander, please report to Duel Field 3." a feminine voice announced over the speaker system.

 _Guess that's my cue_ , thought Soren as he rose from his seat among the mass of other examinees and made his way to the arena that would make or break his future. As he walked through the halls of the stadium he decided to take a last look at his deck to make sure that no cards were missing. Looking at each individual card Soren couldn't help but wonder if maybe it was time he tried building a new deck or two. He had been using HERO cards for quite some time.

Sighing, he shuffled his cards and placed them into the slot on his mass produced Kaiba Corp duel disk and continued on his path. As Soren rounded the corner he collided with someone _._ He _s_ tumbled back slightly rubbing his forehead.

"Sorry about that, I didn't see you. Are you alright?" He asked hoping he didn't hurt the other person. Soren looked at the person who stood before him and noticed it was a girl in a strange outfit of white and blue. Her hair was brown and her eyes were gray. _From the looks of her outfit she must already be a_ _student,_ thought Soren as he looked her up and down quickly.

"Ugh, yeah I'm fine, Just do yourself a favor and watch where you're going next time." The girl said as she looked back at Soren, her face portraying her annoyance at his carelessness.

"I'll be more careful. Are you a student already? Your outfit looks rather unique compared to everyone else."

"That's right, I'm a first year Obelisk Blue student, so you had best learn some respect. Who are you anyway?"

"My name is Soren Lysander. And you are?"

"Jasmine Makurada. I suppose I can let you off easy this time but don't let this happen again. Where were you off to anyway that you were spacing out like that?"

"I was heading to the Duel Field for my practical exam. Speaking of which i should hurry or they might decide to drop me. I'll see ya later." Soren stated as he began sprinting down to the arena hoping to make it on time.

As he walked onto the field he could see his test administrator waiting patiently, his arms crossed in an authoritative manner. As Soren took to his side of the field, another administrator brought a suitcase to Soren's soon-to-be opponent. He opened the case and selected a specialized deck designed for testing those who scored higher on the written portion of the entrance exam. After he made his selection the other man returned to the desk of the DA spectators.

"So you finally decided to show up. Very well then, my name is Dean and I will be administering your practical exam. I hope you're prepared Mr. Lysander because this exam will be one of the tougher ones since you scored so high on the written portion."

"I understand. Just try not to get angry once I win. Now..." Soren began shuffling his deck, a motion Dean returned in kind, and both drew their starting hands. Both players raised their disks and took a step forward. Then...

 **"DUEL!"**  
 **SOREN-4000**  
 **VS**  
 **Dean-4000**

"I'll take the first turn!" Soren exclaimed, grabbing the top card of his deck.

"I draw!"

 **TURN ONE-SOREN-SIX CARDS**

"I'll start things off with this, Elemental Hero Stratos in attack mode!" Soren shouted as he placed the card on the middle slot of his duel disk.  
Wind billowed from the middle of the field as the monster clad in blue and silver armor appeared in an array of golden light.

Elemental HERO Stratos- WIND - LVL 4- ATK 1800/DEF 300

 **SOREN-FIVE CARDS**

"Next I activate his effect, whenever he is summoned I can add one "HERO" monster from my deck to my hand." Soren explained as he looked though his deck for the desired card.

"I'll add Elemental HERO Shadow Mist to my hand." He showed the card to his opponent to show he was not lying or cheating before adding the card to his hand.

 **SOREN-SIX CARDS**

"Next I'll set three cards face down and end my turn." Three holograms appeared behind the hero monster, ready to aid in the battle ahead.

 **SOREN-THREE CARDS**

"A fine opening move but it won't be enough to win you this duel!" The Admin declared as he reached for the top card of his deck.  
"It's my turn, I draw!"

 **TURN TWO-DEAN-SIX CARDS**

"I summon D.D Assailant in attack mode!"  
Once more a golden light sprang forth from the duel field as as a masked warrior clad in white armor jumped onto the field wielding a giant sword.

 **DEAN-FIVE CARDS**

D.D Assailant- EARTH - LVL 4- ATK 1700/ DEF 1600

"Battle! My D.D Assailant attacks your Stratos with _Dimension Blitz_!"

The masked warrior leapt high into the sky only to vanish into a dimensional portal and reappear behind the hero of wind. The monster brought its sword down in an arc motion only to have his blade shatter as it made contact with Stratos' azure chest armor. One of the shards flew into the torso of the administrator and he grunted as he watched his life points diminish slightly.

 **SOREN-4000**

 **VS**

 **DEAN-3900**

"Now I can activate my monsters effect, when D.D Assailant is destroyed by battle with an opponents monster I can banish both monsters." Dean explained as the the warrior of the different dimension appeared from within another dimensional portal and dragged Stratos in with him.

"Tsk, so that's what you had planned." Soren said as he placed one of his favorite cards into his deck holster, signifying its banished status. "But since you normal summoned already your field will be wide open next turn."

"That's what you think. However I have this, the quick-play spell known as Photon Lead!" Dean slid the card into the middle spell/trap zone of his duel disk and the card appeared on the field.

 **DEAN-FOUR CARDS**

"With this cards effect I can special summon one level four or lower LIGHT attribute monster from my hand in attack mode. The one I choose is D.D Warrior Lady!" He said placing the monster in the previously occupied card zone.

 **DEAN-THREE CARDS**

A blonde haired woman leapt onto the field brandishing a glowing machete. A sudden realization crossed Soren's mind and his opponents next words confirmed his suspicion.

D.D Warrior Lady- LIGHT - LVL 4- ATK 1500/DEF 1600

"And since this card was activated during the battle phase that means I have one more attack this turn. Go, D.D Warrior Lady, attack him directly with _Dimension Slash_!" The warrior complied and lunged toward Soren, the holographic sword piercing his chest. Soren reeled back, watching his life points drop as the fighter from another world returned to Dean's side of the field.

 **SOREN-2500**

 **VS**

 **DEAN-3900**

"I'll set one card face down and end my turn." He said as another card hologram appeared behind the female warrior.

 **DEAN-TWO CARDS**

"You had better start trying to win or you'll never make it into Duel Academy. Now show me what you can do!"

"Believe me I am just getting started. I'll show you just how I play when things get rough, I draw!" Soren shouted as he ripped the card from the top of his deck.

 **TURN THREE-SOREN-FOUR CARDS**

 _It's here_!, thought Soren as he glanced at the card he drew. "First, I summon Elemental Hero Prisma in attack mode!" The monster made of prisms rose from the ground and took up a fighting stance as he glared at his opponent.

Elemental HERO Prisma- LIGHT - LVL 4 - ATK 1700/ DEF 1100

 **SOREN-THREE CARDS**

"Next I activate the spell card, Smashing Ground." He said as he revealed one of the cards in his hand. "With this cards effect I can destroy the monster on your side of the field with the highest Defense. And since you only have one monster, that means your Warrior Lady is destroyed!" Both duelists watched as a giant arm appeared from the sky and brought itself down upon the female warrior's form. As the arm rose up everyone present saw no remains of the monster that had been there moments before.

 **SOREN-TWO CARDS**

"Now Prisma, attack Dean directly with _Spectrum Blast_!" Soren thrust his hand forward and his monster followed the motion. A multi-colored beam shot forth from the monster's crystal-like hand and hit Dean's face.

 **SOREN-2500**

 **VS**

 **DEAN-2200**

"Now, I activate one of my face-down cards. The Quick-Play spell, Mask Change.!" The middle card on Soren's field flipped itself face-up.

"Mask Change? What does it do?" Dean asked curiously.

"I'm glad you asked. You see, by releasing the LIGHT attribute Prisma on my side of the field I can special summon a Mask HERO from my Extra Deck that has the same attribute." Soren explained as Prisma vanished from the field in an array of light.

"O warrior of the light who shines brighter than the sun, appear now and smite those who would challenge your strength. I call upon you now, Masked HERO Koga!"

The light that had enveloped Prisma seconds ago burst into a pillar of golden energy and from within a warrior clad in gold armor shot out wielding twin blades attached to his forearms.

Masked HERO Koga- LIGHT - LVL 4 - ATK 2500/ DEF 1800

"Finish this Koga, _Light Barrage_!" The golden warrior brandished his swords and lunged forward, his twin blades piercing Dean's chest. Soren Watched as the rest of his opponents life points drained. _Man, it's a good thing these attacks aren't real_ , Soren thought to himself as Koga returned to his side.

 **SOREN-2500**

 **VS**

 **DEAN-0**

The holograms disappeared and both Soren and Dean lowered their duel disks and the two met in the middle of the field.

"That was an exceptional turnaround. Congratulations Mr. Lysander, you passed." Dean said extending his hand.

"Thank you sir, for a nice duel." Soren too extended his hand and both exchanged a friendly handshake. He then turned to walk back to his seat.

Off to to the side of the arena a Blonde haired man in a blue uniform marked Soren Lysander as "passed" on his clip board.

 **END OF CHAPTER 1**

 **NEXT TIME ON YU-GI-OH GX TAG FORCE: ANOTHER HERO TAKES TO THE STAGE. WILL HIS APPEARANCE LEAD TO A HEATED RIVALRY OR A LASTING FRIENDSHIP? OR BOTH?**


	2. Chapter 2: A Rival Appears

**BEFORE WE BEGIN THIS CHAPTER, I WANT TO STATE SOME THINGS I FORGOT TO IN THE FIRST ONE. I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM. ALSO ANY REVIEWS, ADVICE, AND CRITICISM ARE BOTH WELCOME AND APPRECIATED. OK THAT'S ALL, LET'S GET THIS GOING.**

Chapter 2: A Rival Appears

Soren hummed a tune as he continued down the hall that lead back to the bleachers that overlooked the arenas. With his exams completed and his entrance to DA all but assured, Soren had only to wait for the moment when he would be told his results and dorm placement. He was already aware of the ranked system that seemed to favor the rich and powerful at DA. That didn't mean he would to take anything lying down if he was placed at the bottom. Still he supposed if he had to choose he would pick Slifer Red for the sole purpose of the color red being his favorite.

Rounding the same corner he had bumped into Jasmine before, Soren returned to his seat in time to see a few more matches. It was the perfect time to size up the abilities of his future peers, his future _opponents._ Taking advantage of the opportunity Soren eagerly awaited the next match.

As match after match concluded Soren could see that his time at DA would certainly shape up to be an interesting experience. As the last of the matches concluded Soren made to rise from his seat when an unexpected announcement made him think twice about doing so.

"Examinee Number 110, Jaden Yuki..." Announced the same female voice from before.

 _Number 110, but I thought that all the matches were over already. Unless someone arrived last minute._ As he pondered what was going on he noticed a duelist with vaguely Kuriboh-like hair appear on the duel field below. Another thing he noticed was the fact that the person who stood on the other side of the arena was not like the other administrators. He had blond hair in a ponytail, and a strange variation of the Duel Disk called a Duel _Vest._ And was he wearing lipstick? He also wore a long, Obelisk Blue styled coat. Soren couldn't tell what was with the man's appearance but nonetheless, this seemed far more interesting to Soren than any of the previous matches.

"Alright, test time!" Announced the strange looking administrator to the applicant. "So son, what's your name?"

"Uh, Jaden. Jaden Yuki." Said the boy as he adjusted his stance.

"Well, "Uh Jaden Yuki", I'm Doctor Vellian Crowler. Department Chair of Techniques at Duel Academy."

"Wow, and here I thought you were some kind of weird mascot." Jaden stated, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly and laughing lightly.

Crowler scowled at the comment, glaring at the carefree duelist before regaining his composure. "Yes well, let's not beat around the bush. I am a very busy man after all." He stated, activating his duel gear.

"You got it teach, let's get our game on!" Jaden exclaimed raising his duel disk and drawing his starting hand.

 **"DUEL!"**

 **JADEN-4000**

 **VS**

 **CROWLER-4000**

"The first move's mine, I draw!" Jaden declared as he slid the drawn card to his hand.

 **TURN ONE-JADEN-SIX CARDS**

"And I'll start things off with the Elemental HERO Avian in defense mode."

In a torrent of feathers the winged hero appeared on the field with his arms crossed, ready to protect Jaden and his life points.

Elemental HERO Avian- WIND - LVL 3 - ATK 1000/DEF 1000

 _So he uses HERO cards as well. This just gets more and more interesting._ Thought Soren as he watched the opening move closely.

 **JADEN-FIVE CARDS**

"And next I'll throw down a face down. Your move teach." Said the enthusiastic HERO user as the hologram of another card manifested itself behind the lone monster.

 **JADEN-FOUR CARDS**

"Yes, yes a very nice play for an amateur. But I hope you don't think that monster will be able to save you. It's my turn!" Crowler declared as he placed his hand in front of his deck slot. The automated draw system activated and the card slid elegantly into his hand. Glancing at the card he drew, Crowler could already see a surefire way of showing this slacker his place.

 **TURN TWO-CROWLER-SIX CARDS**

"For my first move I'll play the spell card, Confiscation." He said as the card appeared on the field.

"Okay, so what's it do?"

"What it does is allow me to pay 1000 life points to look at your hand and send one card from there to the graveyard." As he announced this, holograms of the cards in Jaden's hand appeared in front of Crowler, allowing him a clear view of any and all strategies available to him.

 **CROWLER-FIVE CARDS**

 **CROWLER-3000**

"Ah, yes I remember some of these from when I was a naive duelist like yourself. I think I'll choose to send that pesky Monster Reborn of yours to the graveyard." As he made his selection the card in Jaden's hand shimmered and was immediately placed in the graveyard.

 **JADEN-THREE CARDS**

"Next I'll set two cards face-down and activate the spell card Heavy Storm!" A violent whirlwind began whipping around the arena. Jaden stepped back as he watched his Draining Shield burst into shards of light. Crowler on the other hand merely watched as his two Statues of the Wicked met the same fate.

 **CROWLER-TWO CARDS**

"Whoops, did you forget that you had some traps on the field too teach." Jaden stated, however Crowler simply smirked at the comment. As Jaden noticed this a dark fog began surrounding the field."What's happening?"

"Oh nothing's happening..." Suddenly two golden creatures emerged from the fog on Crowler's side of the field.

Wicked Token(x2)- DARK - LVL 4 - ATK 1000/DEF 1000

"...not yet anyway! The two monsters burst into flames at Crowler's comment. "Now I'll release my two Wicked Tokens and summon Ancient Gear Golem!" From the flames that had previously engulfed the two Tokens a giant robot rose up and towered over the rest of the field, its single red eye glaring at the lone monster on Jaden's field.

Ancient Gear Golem- EARTH - LVL 8 - ATK 3000/DEF 3000

 **CROWLER-ONE CARD**

"Now my Golem destroy that birdbrain with _Ultimate Pound_!" At Crowler's command the titan reeled its fist toward Avian and the monster braced itself for the worst. As the monster burst into shards of light Jaden raised an arm to defend himself. "And with my Golem's effect you'll take damage equal to the difference of your monster's defense points and my monster's attack points." Once more the Golem reeled its fist, this time at Jaden. He grunted slightly as he watched his life points drain.

 **JADEN-2000**

 **VS**

 **CROWLER-3000**

 _So the good Doctor has a legendary card like that. That must mean he is using his own personal deck instead of an exam one. Well, even if that card is powerful that doesn't mean it can't be beaten. The only question is how is this hot-shot hero going to handle it?_ Soren wondered as he watched the duel pensively. This was certainly something to be expected of the teachers at Duel Academy. As Soren stared down at the field another administrator approached him, a woman with short brown hair.

"Excuse me, Mr. Lysander, I need you to come with me to receive your designated DA supplies." She stated as Soren turned to face her.

"Oh right." Soren rose from his seat reluctantly, as he wanted to see this duel through to the end. "Lead the way then." He said taking a lasting glance at the field before they left the bleachers.

The two walked through the halls in silence, exchanging a glance every now and then until they arrived at a set of three tables set up side by side. Each of the tables carried a few stacks of boxes bearing the DA logo on the front, as well as stacks of neatly folded Jackets in varying sizes and colors. The administrator guided Soren to the first table and handed him one of the boxes and a blue jacket.

"Congratulations Mr. Lysander, you have been placed in the Obelisk Blue Dorm. That means your one of DA's top students." The woman told Soren. As Soren stared at the dark blue coat he wondered how this was possible. He hadn't fulfilled any of the necessary prerequisites for placement into Obelisk Blue nor was he rich or powerful, so how?

"In case you're wondering, you were placed in the Blue Dorm for a few reasons. One of them being there was no more space in Ra Yellow. Another reason is because Dr. Crowler thought it would be a waste of your talent to put you in Slifer Red. So I guess you lucked out."

"So you're telling me that I was put in there on a whim? Fair enough I suppose, though I do have one request." The woman raised an eyebrow curiously at the statement. "Could I have a red jacket instead?"

The admin's jaw dropped at the question. After all, why would anyone _want_ to wear the jacket of the failures of DA. "Well... I don't see why not, but... any particular reason?"

"Red's just my favorite color, that's all." Soren stated plainly.

"Well if that's all then I'm sure we can spare one Slifer Jacket for you. But do keep in mind however that you will have to wear your Obelisk Blue coat for the Entrance Ceremony. After that you'll be free to wear the other one when you want." The woman explained as she walked over to the table that carried the crimson coats. She handed one of them to Soren and he placed it in his box with the rest of his standard issue DA gear.

Soren slipped on his slick, blue coat and bid farewell to the administrator. As he walked back through the halls he could make out another person heading to the bleacher section. It was Jaden Yuki, the duelist who moments ago had been backed into a corner by that Ancient Gear Golem for his entrance exam. So what exactly happened with all of that? Soren grew curious at the result of the duel and decided to find out for himself.

"Hey, you there!" He called out to the enthusiastic duelist.

Jaden turned and pointed a finger at himself. "Who, me?"

"Yes, you. You're Jaden Yuki, the one who was going against that strange man with the Golem card, correct?"

"Yeah, that was me." He said as a he grinned at the

"So I was right. Jaden, I want to see just how strong you are, so duel me."

"Heh alright, I'm always ready to throw down. Besides, you seem pretty strong yourself and I love a challenge." Jaden stated as both he and Soren began shuffling their decks.

"Oh by the way, what's your name?" Jaden asked curiously.

"I'm Soren, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too Soren. I hope you're ready, because it's time to get our game on!"

"You seem pretty confident in yourself. Just know that I'm no slouch when it comes to dueling either." Soren told the upstart hero as they both placed their decks in their duel disks.

The two drew their starting hands, their gazes steeled for the coming challenges.

 **"DUEL"**

 **SOREN-4000**

 **VS**

 **JADEN-4000**

"I'll take the first move. I draw!" Shouted Soren as he ripped the card from the top of his deck.

 **TURN ONE-SOREN-SIX CARDS**

"And I'll start things off with this, the Elemental HERO Ocean in attack mode!" As Soren placed the card on his middle monster zone, water appeared on the field and began pulsing as something seemed to be rising to the surface. The monster suddenly leapt out of the water, twirling a trident around its aqua colored body before settling onto the field.

Elemental HERO Ocean- WATER - LVL 4 - ATK 1500/DEF 1200

 **SOREN-FIVE CARDS**

"Oh man, I haven't seen that HERO before." Jaden said, his eyes gleaming at the site.

"Well you're about to see something better, because now I activate the Quick-Play Spell Mask Change!" The card appeared on the field and Ocean was enveloped in a mixture of light and water.

 **SOREN-FOUR CARDS**

"Mask Change, what does that do?"

"It lets me tribute one HERO monster on my side of the field to special summon a Masked HERO from my Extra Deck that has the same attribute of the monster I released." He explained as he pulled the desired card from his holster where he kept his Extra Deck. "Come forth, Masked HERO Vapor in attack mode!" At Soren's command the mix of water and light burst apart revealing the new monster that had taken Oceans place.

Masked HERO Vapor- WATER - LVL 6 - ATK 2400/DEF 2000

"Next, I'll play one card face down and end my turn." The card appeared behind Sorens monster.

 **SOREN-THREE CARDS**

"Now, come at me Jaden!"

"You got it pal, it's my move." Jaden said as he grabbed the top card of his deck. "I draw!"

 **TURN TWO-JADEN-SIX CARDS**

Jaden looked at his hand running over the possibilities for his first move.

"Okay first I'll play the spell, Pot of Greed."

 **JADEN-FIVE CARDS**

"This card lets me draw two more." He said as he added two more cards to his hand

 **JADEN-SEVEN CARDS**

"And next up, I'll play Polymerization and use it to fuse the Clayman and Sparkman in my hand to fusion summon Elemental HERO Thunder Giant in attack mode!" Jaden shouted as raised the three cards into the air. Both duelists watched as the two monsters were sucked into a blue and orange portal, merging together to form a new, more powerful monster.

 **JADEN-FOUR CARDS**

Out of the portal a golden warrior sprang forth and sent jolts of electricity all around the field.

Elemental HERO Thunder Giant- LIGHT - LVL 6 - ATK 2400/DEF 1500

The two monsters glared at each other fiercely, waiting for the attack order that would not come.

"And since I haven't normal summoned this turn I can call out another monster, so here comes Elemental HERO Wildheart in attack mode!" A muscular, tattooed monster wielding a giant sword leapt onto the field, his long, black ponytail swaying in the air as he landed.

Elemental HERO Wildheart- EARTH - LVL 4 - ATK 1500/DEF 1600

 **JADEN-THREE CARDS**

"And next up, I'll play the field spell Skyscraper!" Jaden exclaimed as he placed the card into the field slot in his duel disk. Buildings of all shapes and sizes began to rise out of the ground around the duelists.

 **JADEN-TWO CARDS**

 _This isn't good, but with my face-down I can at least ensure a comeback next turn._ Thought Soren as he carefully glanced at his set card.

"Now go Wildheart, attack Soren's Masked HERO with _Wild Skydive Slash!"_ The tattooed hero leapt from the building he was perched on and unsheathed his massive blade bringing it down upon Masked HERO Vapor. "And with my Skyscraper's effect, when an Elemental HERO monster battles with a monster that has a higher attack it gains 1000 attack points."

Elemental HERO Wildheart- EARTH - LVL 4 - ATK 2500/DEF 1600

As Wildheart's blade pierced Vapor the monster was sent flying backward into a building. Vapor burst into shards of light on impact as it let out a pained grunt.

 **SOREN-3900**

 **VS**

 **JADEN-4000**

"And now my Thunder Giant is free to attack you directly with _Spark Shot_!" Thunder Giant extended his metallic claws toward Soren and sent out an electric discharge that shook his entire body. Soren dropped to one knee as his life points fell, clutching his chest as if the damage inflicted had _actually_ hurt him. But it didn't.

 **SOREN-1500**

 **VS**

 **JADEN-4000**

"And I'll throw down a face-down and call it a turn." The card manifested itself behind Jaden's electric warrior.

 **JADEN-ONE CARD**

"It's my turn, I draw!" As Soren drew the card a golden trail of light followed in it's wake. _It's here!_ He thought as he looked at the card before adding it to his hand.

 **TURN THREE-SOREN-FOUR CARDS**

"First, I summon Elemental HERO Stratos in attack mode!" Once more the blue and silver warrior took to the field in a gust of wind, ready to assist in the battle.

Elemental HERO Stratos- WIND - LVL 4 - ATK 1800/DEF 300

 **SOREN-THREE CARDS**

"And now I can activate his monster effect! When he is summoned I can add one HERO card from my deck to my hand." He explained as he looked through his deck, carefully weighing his options. "The one I choose to add Elemental HERO Prisma."

 **SOREN-FOUR CARDS**

"Now go Stratos, attack Wildheart with _Stratosphere Strike!"_ At Soren's command the wind rider soared into the sky and disappeared. For a moment all was still, when suddenly Stratos came rushing back down and smashed into Wildheart, shattering him to pieces. Jaden reeled back as one of the shards grazed his cheek and his life points dropped slightly.

 **SOREN-1500**

 **VS**

 **JADEN-3700**

"And next I activate the quick-play spell Mask Change II! Now by discarding one card in my hand, I can release the Stratos on my field to special summon a Masked HERO from my Extra Deck with a higher level." Soren explained as he slid the Prisma card into the graveyard. Stratos was engulfed by a tempest that began stirring around the field.

 **SOREN-TWO CARDS**

"I call you here now, Masked HERO Divine Wind!" From the center of the tempest that had surrounded Stratos, a hand shot out and the wind itself was absorbed into it, revealing a new, green armored warrior.

Masked HERO Divine Wind- WIND - LVL 8 - ATK 2700/DEF 1900

"And since he was summoned during the battle phase, that means I have one more attack. Go, Divine Wind, attack Thunder Giant with _Wind Lance!"_ The wind that had been previously taken into the warriors hand suddenly shot out once more, this time forming itself into a literal wind lance. The monster quickly launched the lance at the golden titan and it pierced his blue core. Electricity shot out of the center of the core as Thunder Giant collapsed and exploded.

 **SOREN-1500**

 **VS**

 **JADEN-3400**

"Next, Divine Wind's monster effect. When he destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the graveyard, I can draw one card."

 **SOREN-THREE CARDS**

"Next I activate my face-down card, another quick-play known as Form Change! With this card I can send one HERO fusion monster I control back to the extra deck and special summon a Masked HERO with the same level but a different attribute." As Soren finished his explanation a pillar of light surrounded Divine Wind. "The one I'm summoning is Masked HERO Dian!" The light faded and from it another warrior took to the stage, one clad in shining silver armor and a blue cape.

Masked HERO Dian- EARTH - LVL 8 - ATK 2800/DEF 3000

"Dian, attack Jaden directly with _Terra Slash!"_ The caped hero lunged forward, his sword poised to strike. Jaden braced himself for the oncoming attack.

 **SOREN-1500**

 **VS**

 **JADEN-600**

"There's nothing else I can do for this turn, so I end." Soren said lowering his disk.

Jaden readjusted his stance as he stared at his mostly empty field. With one card in his hand and two cards on the field, Jaden new that his next draw would be his last.

"Then that makes it my move, I draw!"

 **TURN FOUR-JADEN-TWO CARDS**

 _And it's just what I needed,_ Jaden thought as he slid the drawn card to his hand. "Okay Soren, you wanted to see just how good I am, well here it is!" He shouted as he thrust his hand, forward revealing his lone face down. "I play my second Polymerization! And I'll be using it to unite the Elemental HEROES Avian and Burstinatrix in my hand to fusion summon the Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!" He shouted as once more the orange and blue portal appeared on the field. The holograms of the monsters in Jaden's hand appeared on the field and jumped into the portal, there forms breaking down and merging together to form Jaden's favorite card. The monster emerged from the portal, floating down to the field slowly as it's gaze locked with that of Dian. It's tail began whipping around slowly and it's single wing curled around the monster's masculine form.

 **JADEN-ZERO CARDS**

Elemental HERO Flame Wingman- WIND - LVL 6 - ATK 2100/DEF 1200

"Now go Flame Wingman, attack Soren's Dian with _Skydive Scorcher_!" Flame Wingman leapt atop one of the many buildings that surrounded the field. Dian mimicked this action finding a building that stood directly across from Flame Wingman. The two glared at each other for a moment, the wind blowing slightly as they readied themselves for the final bout. In unison they leapt from their buildings and flew towards each other. Dian once more poised his sword to strike as he flew toward his opponent. Flame Wingman extended his dragon-like arm and it released a stream of fire. The flames cloaked themselves around Flame Wingman's body.

"And don't forget that with my Skyscraper's effect, my Wingman gets an attack boost of 1000 points." As Jaden reminded Soren of this fact the flames that encompassed Flame Wingman grew larger and more fierce.

Elemental HERO Flame Wingman- WIND - LVL 6 - ATK 3100/DEF 1200

"That's fine by me! Go Dian, give it your all!" Soren shouted, encouraging his monster to continue his attack. Dian nodded in approval at the words and charged faster toward Flame Wingman. The two monsters clashed in the sky, the fires of Flame Wingman eventually enveloping Dian, and he let out a grunt of pain as his body burned to ash and burst into shards, leaving only his sword to fall to the ground. Soren watched as Flame Wingman returned to Jaden victorious.

 **SOREN-1200**

 **VS**

 **JADEN-600**

"And now my monster's effect activates, when Flame Wingman destroys a monster by battle, you take damage equal to that monsters attack points." Dian's sword, which had previously been falling from the sky, suddenly launched toward Soren's body. Soren let out a pained groan as the sword flew through his torso, and he fell to one knee.

 **SOREN-0**

 **VS**

 **JADEN-600**

One by one, the holograms disappeared leaving only the two duelists. Jaden extended his arm forward and pointed two fingers at Soren.

"And that's game." He said as he approached Soren, who had risen back to his feet.

"I must admit, I wasn't expecting you to turn that around so easily Jaden. From a play like that I can only assume you also beat that Golem card, am I right?" Soren asked curiously as he placed his deck back into it's holster.

"Yeah that's right, and that means I made it into Duel Academy. But still, you had some pretty sweet moves Soren. Those Masked HEROES of yours are something else." Jaden stated as he extended his hand. Soren took the offer and both duelists shook hands.

"Thanks for a great duel Jaden. But next time will be different." Soren said, releasing his grip on Jaden's hand.

"I look forward to it Soren. Until next time." And so the two parted ways.

 **END OF CHAPTER 2**

 **NEXT TIME ON YU-GI-OH GX TAG FORCE: WITH SOREN'S ARRIVAL AT DUEL ACADEMY, THINGS ARE SURE TO GET MORE EXCITING. WHAT SORT OF ADVENTURES AWAIT OUR HERO IN THIS SEEMINGLY NORMAL DUEL SCHOOL? WILL HE RISE TO THE CHALLENGES AHEAD OR PLUMMET TO ROCK BOTTOM?**


	3. Chapter 3: A Shaky Start

Chapter 3: A Shaky Start

With all the entrance exams finally over, those who had passed eagerly awaited the time of departure. Some remained seated in the bleachers, while others lingered about by the front entrance making conversation with old and new friends. Some had even taken to dueling each other in the arenas below. This was not the case for Soren however, for he sat alone among the mass of people, idly watching others as they passed by. It certainly didn't bother him much that he had no one he could really call a friend in this place. It just meant that he would be left to his own devices, free to think of ways to better himself and his deck. Perhaps even build a new deck entirely, but that would have to come at a later time. For even though he enjoyed the serenity of solitude, Soren couldn't help but feel envious of those around him who were reminiscing of days long past. Although, with all the people around him, Soren's current setting was less than ideal for any sort of brainstorming. Sighing, he rose from his seat. _Maybe I'll just go for a short walk._ He thought as he entered the hallway.

As he wandered through the halls of the Kaiba Dome, idle chatter from those around him filled his ears. Talk of how one fared in their entrance duel, people exchanging strategies and sharing deck recipes. Continuing on his path, Soren wandered to the upper platforms that overlooked both the arenas and the bleachers and leisurely leaned on the hand rail. At least here he could think clearly, due to the drop in noise. It seemed as though there were only a handful of people up here, mostly Obelisk Blue and Ra Yellow students. One of which he recognized, albeit somewhat vaguely, Jasmine.

She appeared to be with friends of her own, two other girls in fact. One was a girl with long, dark blonde hair with the eye color to match. The other was a girl with slightly shorter black hair, which she had tied up somewhat subtly for convenience sake, and chocolate brown eyes. As he looked on Soren thought he saw Jasmine glance his way, if only for a short moment before he quickly turned back to face the arenas once more.

 _Guess this means I'm the only loner here. Not that that's a bad thing. Besides,_ he thought as he glanced back to where the trio stood, only to see Jasmine and her friend idolizing the blonde girl, _I wouldn't want to intrude._ He thought as he once more turned to stare at the duel fields.

After a while a voice rang out over the speaker system, announcing that it was time for the students to depart. As the announcement concluded the ceiling of the Dome began to open and Soren could see their method of transportation descending. Helicopters, large enough to carry multiple students at a time to their destination. The sound of whirring blades filled the entirety of the structure as the students filed to the center of the building. Once they all landed Dr. Crowler made his way to the front of the crowd. He raised his arms to grab their attention and began to speak.

"Now then if you will all pay attention, we can depart in a timely manner. First off, those of you in Slifer Red please step this way and make a single file line." He explained as he gestured to his right. Those that fit the criteria moved forward. Similar instructions were given to the other ranks until every student was loaded on to one of the helicopters. Soren was lucky enough to get placed in a window seat. As soon as Crowler was certain everyone was present and on board he made his way to the chopper Soren happened to be in and took a seat alongside the pilot. Soon enough the helicopter blades began whirring again. One by one the helicopters took off until the stadium was empty and the ceiling resealed itself. Soren knew the ride ahead would be long and so he settled in to his chair.

 **Time Passes...**

Soren's eyes opened slowly as he awoke from his slumber. His seat neighbors were making quiet conversation as he adjusted himself. Yawning, he stretched his arms out slightly and turned his head to look out the window. Soren could see the vast sea before him, as the helicopter began its descent to the helipads below. As the blades slowed down and stopped, Crowler emerged from the cockpit.

"Alright everyone, from here we will be traveling the rest of the way by trucks. Now if you would all please exit in an orderly fashion so that we can continue on our way." He explained as the door to the cabin was opened by the pilot.

One by one the students filed out of the helicopter and onto the trucks as instructed. As Soren exited, he could see the giant structure that would be his home for the next few years. Duel Academy, in all of it's glory. Hopping into the back of the nearest truck, Soren waited eagerly as they drove off towards the school building.

 **More Time Passes..**

The trucks stopped in front of the Main Gate of the school building, allowing the students to marvel at the size of the structure up close. As the students loaded off the trucks Crowler stood at the doorway.

"Now if everyone would please follow me, we will be making our way to the main classroom for the Entrance Ceremony." He explained as he opened the door and walked inside.

The students followed closely behind their guide. As they walked through the hallway Soren could see other rooms that he assumed they would learn more about later. Continuing on to their destination Soren noticed a much more open room as they passed by. A duel field, this one in particular accompanied by an insignia in the likeness of Obelisk the Tormentor.

 _This must mean that each class rank has a designated duel field. Convenient, I suppose._ Thought Soren as he turned his gaze back to the crowd. After passing by other rooms and duel fields in the wide hall they arrived at the main classroom. Upon entry everyone noticed that it was considerably large. Another thing of note was that it contained a widescreen monitor behind a single podium at the front of the room. As the last of the students entered the room Crowler divided them into groups based on rank and had them stand just in front of the monitor. The screen turned on and a man with a beard greeted everyone warmly.

"Hello new students, I am Chancellor Sheppard. I would like to start this ceremony off by saying that all of you here are the best and brightest duelists we have had yet. I hope that you all enjoy your time here. Now the rest of the day will be spent however you choose. For the most part, you will all be getting assigned to your dorm rooms, a process that will be handled by your dorm supervisors. Your supervisors will also be handing out your class schedules after the welcoming dinners for each dorm. The dinners will all be at 8:00 P.M. So until then you will be free to roam about and acquaint yourself with the school grounds and your future classmates at your leisure. And that concludes the Entrance Ceremony. Have a nice day." He announced and the screen turned off.

Everyone left the room eager to have a look around their new home. Some took to the duel arenas they had passed on the way here, others looked at the other classrooms. Soren decided to find a nice, quiet location. Somewhere he could escape to when he needed to relax. _Maybe I'll check out that forest. There is also the dock area, doesn't seem like many people would go there. I'll figure it out. After all I have plenty of time to think about it._ And so he left the building.

Walking along the path that lead into the forest Soren could feel a sense of calm come over him. The chirping of the birds in the trees, the gentle breeze that blew every so often, the sound of running water that came from the nearby waterfall. All of it was so pleasant to his ears. Venturing off the beaten path Soren decided to take a seat at the base of one of the many trees around him. He listened more closely than before, each sound to him becoming clearer and more calming. He sank closer to the ground. _This is so peaceful, so quiet._ He thought as he let out a long yawn. _Guess I'm still pretty tired from the trip over. Maybe I'll just take a short nap._ And so he shut his eyes softly, a small grin forming on his face.

 **Even more time passes...**

The chirping of crickets were all Soren could hear as he slowly opened his eyes. Rising from the ground he looked around to find that night had fallen. _Well at least I'm not tired anymore, but what time is it?_ Pulling out the PDA that had been in the box he was given he looked at the time display in the corner of the screen.

 _9:00 P.M._

 _Well that's not good, the Chancellor said the dinners were at eight. I need to find my way to the boys blue dorm. Now... which of the two blue dorms is it?_ Soren thought, realizing the situation he put himself in. He would have to make a gamble, with the risk being expulsion before the first day even arrived. _Eh, fuck it._ Soren shrugged and got back on the path.

Following it back to the nearest dorm, he stopped at the front gate. There was nothing to be heard as he walked through the opened gate. Walking up to the front door, he placed a hand on the handle. Then he stopped upon hearing something. Noise from within, noise which was feminine enough for him to know that he was at the wrong place. _Well at least now I won't be expelled for trespassing onto the girls dorm._ Turning away from the door he began to walk back through the gate when something stopped him.

"Who are you?" The two girls in front of him asked in unison. Looking upon them in moonlit night Soren could see just who had found him. Jasmine and one of the other two girls she was hanging out with back at the Kaiba Dome. _Well isn't this just great?_ He thought as he opened his mouth to respond.

"My name is Soren, but I think one of you already knows that." He said glancing at Jasmine calmly.

"So it was you I saw back on the upper floors. And here I thought you had some common sense, but sneaking into the Girl's Dorm of all places? You're either crazy or lost." She said as she approached him slowly. The other girl followed beside her, carefully examining Soren.

"As a matter of fact I was lost, let me explain." And so he detailed what he had done after all the students were dismissed for the day. The two girls seemed to be somewhat skeptical of his story, evidenced by their narrowed eyes and crossed arms. Soren finished explaining and awaited their response. The two of them stepped back and quietly debated what they should do. After a minute, they turned to face Soren once again.

"We don't believe you!" They exclaimed in unison.

 **END OF CHAPTER 3**

 **KEPT YOU WAITING, HUH? SERIOUSLY THOUGH, SORRY THIS ONE TOOK SO LONG TO WRITE.** **ALSO SORRY THAT IT'S KIND OF SHORT.** **I'M GOING TO TRY AND BE BETTER ABOUT GETTING THESE CHAPTERS OUT TO YOU GUYS.**


	4. Chapter 4: Harpie's Dance

Chapter 4: Harpie's Dance

"We don't believe you!" They exclaimed in unison.

"How can we be sure that you aren't lying? For all we know you could be here to spy." The black haired girl said pointing an accusing finger at Soren.

"Even if I was here to do such thing, what, or who, would I be spying on? From the sounds of everything inside, everyone is still enjoying the dinner. And I don't know about you but I don't derive any sort of pleasure from watching people eat." Soren's stomach growled at that time, as he had not eaten anything all day. "And I really don't like seeing other people eat when I'm hungry." He said as his mind began to wander, thoughts of food taking over him.

"He's right Mindy, besides we don't have anything to prove that he was up to no good." Jasmine said as she stepped forward, a motion which managed to bring Soren's mind back to the situation at hand. "Even so, you should know that boys are prohibited from entering the Girl's Dorm. We can't just turn a blind eye to this." She said as her gaze locked with Soren's. "I'm sure you know what we have to do."

He closed his eyes to think for a moment, then it hit him. "I see, so you plan on turning me in. Well I can't afford to let that happen when my life here has yet to begin, so how about we make a little bet?" Soren said as he walked passed Jasmine, her gray eyes following his movement.

"And what kind of bet would we be making? I don't see any reason to bargain when you're the one who is trespassing."

"You are correct Jasmine, it would be the easiest thing in the world to simply turn me in, but please just hear me out. I will accept whatever decision you make afterward if you just give me a chance to explain myself. After that, it's entirely up to you what happens to me." He said as he stopped in his tracks.

"Alright, I'm listening." Jasmine said as she crossed her arms.

"How about we have a duel to decide my fate? We are at Duel Academy, after all." Soren said as he reached into the box he had been carrying with him since he arrived. He pulled out a slick, silver disk and placed it onto his left arm. "If you win, then you have free reign to say and do whatever you want with this event. If I win then this never happened and we go our separate ways." He explained as he began shuffling his deck.

"A duel is fine by me, but which one of us will be going against him?" Mindy asked, trying to decide which of them was more up to the task.

"Leave that to me." Soren said as he pulled a coin out of his pocket. "Heads, I duel Jasmine and Tails I duel you, Mindy."

He flicked the coin upward, watching carefully as it flipped in the air. Soren extended his hand to catch it. As it landed in his open palm he looked at the result, Heads. "Well I guess we have our answer. Shall we?" He asked, activating his duel disk and drawing his starting hand. A motion that Jasmine repeated as Mindy moved to the sidelines to spectate.

 **"DUEL!"**

 **SOREN-4000**

 **VS**

 **JASMINE-4000**

"Ladies first, so here I go!" Jasmine said pulling the card from the top of her deck.

 **TURN ONE-JASMINE-SIX CARDS**

"And to start things off I activate the effect of Harpie Queen in my hand. By discarding her to the graveyard I can add the field spell Harpie's Hunting Ground from my deck to my hand." She explained as she did so. "And next I am going to activate it." She said as she placed the card into the field spell zone. "Now I summon Birdface in attack mode!" The card appeared on the field and out of it came a golden bird clad in avian armor.

Birdface- WIND - LVL 4 - ATK 1600/DEF 1600

 **JASMINE-FOUR CARDS**

"Harpies Hunting Ground also grants an increase of 200 points for attack and defense for all Winged Beast type monsters."

Birdface- WIND - LVL 4 - ATK 1800/DEF 1800

"I'll play two cards face-down and end my turn." The backs of the cards appeared behind Jasmine's monster.

 **JASMINE-TWO CARDS**

"Then that makes it my move, I draw!" Soren said as the tips of his fingers elegantly slid the card to his hand.

 **TURN TWO-SOREN-SIX CARDS**

 _So she runs a Harpie deck? Seems fitting in a way, but that field spell is going to be a problem._ He thought as he ran his eyes over his hand. "First I summon Elemental HERO Stratos in attack mode!" Wind surrounded the card as it appeared on the field, swirling until it created a vortex. Suddenly his monster leapt out of the center of the vortex, dispersing the wind in the process.

Elemental HERO Stratos- WIND - LVL 4 - ATK 1800/DEF 300

 **SOREN-FIVE CARDS**

"And now his monster effect activates, allowing me to add one HERO card from my deck to my hand." Soren explained as he once more looked through his deck. "The one I choose is Elemental HERO Voltic." He showed the card to Jasmine before adding it to his hand.

 **SOREN-SIX CARDS**

"Next I play Mask Change II. First I have to discard one card from my hand, so I'll discard Elemental HERO Shadow Mist."

 **SOREN-FOUR CARDS**

"Now by releasing Stratos I can summon a Masked HERO from my Extra Deck with the same attribute." As he finished his explanation the wind picked up again and Stratos was enveloped in it. "Appear, Masked HERO Divine Wind in attack mode!" Soren shouted and the wind dispersed once more, revealing the Emerald Armor of his monster.

Masked HERO Divine Wind- WIND - LVL 8 - ATK 2700/DEF 1900

"Next my Shadow Mist's effect activates, when she is sent to the graveyard I can add one HERO card from my deck to my hand." He explained as he looked though his deck. "The one I choose is Elemental HERO Prisma." He said as he slid the card into his hand and shuffled his deck.

 **SOREN-FIVE CARDS**

"Battle! Divine Wind attacks Birdface with _Wind Lance!"_ The declaration prompted Divine Wind to make his move. Raising his hand skyward, the wind formed itself into a lance. Divine Wind hurled it towards the armor clad bird as it braced itself for the impact.

"I play my trap card, Widespread Ruin!" Jasmine shouted as the first of her two face-downs flipped face-up. "When my opponent declares an attack this card destroys the monster they control with the highest attack!"

"Say what?!" Soren shouted as Divine Wind exploded into an emerald green cloud.

Soren glanced down at his hand and grabbed two cards. "I'll set two cards and end my turn."

 **SOREN-THREE CARDS**

"I gotta admit, you're pretty good Jasmine. That's the first time anyone has managed to destroy Divine Wind." Soren said, an eager grin forming on his face.

"I hope you weren't expecting me to go easy on you. I'm giving it everything I have. Still, thank you for the compliment." She replied as she placed her hand on top of her deck. "It's my turn, I draw!" She said sliding the new card to her hand.

 **TURN THREE-JASMINE-THREE CARDS**

"And now I'll summon Harpie Lady 1 in attack mode!" A beautiful woman with wings as green as Divine Wind's armor leapt out from the card frame, her long, pink hair flowing elegantly in the night sky.

Harpie Lady 1- WIND - LVL 4 - ATK 1300/DEF 1400

 **JASMINE-TWO CARDS**

"And now her effect activates, giving an attack boost of 300 points to all WIND monsters on the field. And don't forget about my Harpie's Hunting Ground." She said as the two monsters on her field became cloaked in fierce winds.

Harpie Lady 1- WIND - LVL 4 - ATK 1800/DEF 1600

Birdface- WIND - LVL 4 - ATK 2100/DEF 1800

"And now the other effect of Harpie's Hunting Ground activates! When a Harpie Lady is normal or special summoned, I can target one spell or trap card on the field and destroy it." She explained as she gazed at Soren's back row of cards. "I choose the one on my left!" At her decision Soren watched helplessly as his Mirror Force was revealed and then promptly destroyed. _Good choice, now he shouldn't have anything to save himself._ Jasmine thought, smirking at the scene.

 _Here it comes._ Thought Soren as he quickly adjusted his stance.

"Go Harpie Lady 1, attack Soren directly with _Talon Strike!"_ The woman leapt forward, raising one of her arms up high.

"I play the trap card, Call of The Haunted!" Soren shout as the card rose up. "This allows me to special summon a monster from my graveyard, and the one I choose is Elemental HERO Shadow Mist!" A feminine figure clad in black armor rose from the card slowly like a shadow, her dark hair twinkling in the moonlight.

Elemental HERO Shadow Mist- DARK - LVL 4 - ATK 1000/DEF 1500

"And now her other effect activates, when she is special summoned I can add one "Change" quick-play card from my deck to my hand. The one I choose is Mask Change!" Soren said as he placed the card into his hand.

 **SOREN-FOUR CARDS**

"Even so my attack continues. Once more Harpie Lady, _Talon Strike!"_ And so the woman resumed her attack, plunging her talons into Shadow Mist's torso. Soren's monster let out a shriek before melting back into the shadows she emerged from.

 **SOREN-3200**

 **VS**

 **JASMINE-4000**

"Shadow Mist's first effect will activate once again. This time I add my second copy of Stratos to my hand." Soren said, showing the card to Jasmine before adding it to my hand.

 **SOREN-FIVE CARDS**

"And now Birdface will attack you directly with _Cyclone_ _Strike!"_ The armored bird began flapping it's wings, whipping up a small cyclone and hurled it towards him. Soren's hair and scarf whipped around wildly as his life point counter dropped.

 **SOREN-1100**

 **VS**

 **JASMINE-4000**

"There is nothing else I can do this turn, so I end." She said lowering her arm to her side. "I hope you weren't getting comfortable here Soren because it looks like this duel is all mine. And once I win you'll be expelled for sure." She said as her gaze locked with Soren's.

"Well the best is yet to come Jasmine, so prepare yourself! I draw!"

 **TURN FOUR-SOREN-SIX CARDS**

 _This ought to help even the playing field._ "I activate the spell card Heavy Storm!" Soren shouted as a violent tempest whipped all around the field. "This card destroys all spell and trap cards on the field!"

 **SOREN-FIVE CARDS**

As he finished speaking, Jasmine watched as her field spell and her Hysteric Party trap card were destroyed.

"And that means your monsters attack power will be reduced!" The winds that had enveloped Jasmines monsters became less fierce.

Harpie Lady 1- WIND - LVL 4 - ATK 1600/DEF 1400

Birdface- WIND - LVL 4 - ATK 1900/DEF 1600

"And next I summon Elemental HERO Prisma in attack mode!" Once more the monster made of crystal-like prisms emerged in a pillar of light that lit up the night.

Elemental HERO Prisma- LIGHT - LVL 4 - ATK 1700/DEF 1100

 **SOREN-FOUR CARDS**

"Now go Prisma, attack Harpie Lady with _Spectrum Blast!"_ At Soren's command Prisma extended an arm forward and a rainbow beam shot forth. Jasmine's Harpie Lady took up a defensive stance as the blast collided with her. She let out a shriek as the beam overtook her form.

 **SOREN-1100**

 **VS**

 **JASMINE-3900**

"From my hand I activate the quick-play spell, Mask Change!" Soren shouted as another pillar of light surrounded Prisma.

 **SOREN-THREE CARDS**

"With this card's effect I release Prisma to summon Masked HERO Koga in attack mode!" The light enveloped Prisma's form entirely, and then burst outward to reveal the golden warrior.

Masked HERO Koga- LIGHT - LVL 8 - ATK 2500/DEF 1800

"And now his effect will activate, giving him an attack boost of 500 points for every monster you control!" Koga's armor seemed to shine brighter and more brilliantly as Soren finished speaking.

Masked HERO Koga- LIGHT - LVL 8 - ATK 3000/DEF 1800

"But that's not all, because now I can activate his other effect! By removing Divine Wind from play, I can make one monster on the field lose attack equal to his attack points until the end of the turn!" As Soren finished explaining, the transparent form of Divine Wind wrapped itself around Jasmine's monster. She took a step back as her monster's attack power dropped.

Birdface- WIND - LVL 4 - ATK 0/DEF 1600

"Go Koga, attack with _Light Barrage!_ " Koga brandished his twin swords and leapt forward, slashing Birdface in two. Jasmine raised her arms as her monster burst into shards.

 **SOREN-1100**

 **VS**

 **JASMINE-900**

"Birdface's will activate, when it's destroyed by battle I can add one Harpie Lady card from my deck to my hand. I choose Harpie Lady 2." She showed the card to Soren and proceeded to add it to her hand.

 **JASMINE-THREE CARDS**

"Sorry Jasmine but this is the last turn because I'm activating another quick-play, the spell card Form Change!"

 **SOREN-TWO CARDS**

"You've gotta be kidding me, how many of those quick-plays do you have?" Jasmine asked, obviously annoyed.

"Two of each, but that doesn't matter right now! With Form Change's effect I send Koga back to the Extra Deck and summon another Masked HERO with the same level but a different name. And the one I choose is Masked HERO Anki!" In moments Koga was overtaken by the surrounding darkness, his form twisted into something darker, no pun intended. Out of the shadows a new monster emerged clad in armor similar to that of Shadow Mist.

Masked HERO Anki- DARK - LVL 8 - ATK 2800/DEF 1200

"Now go Anki, finish this with _Shadow Fury!"_ Anki suddenly melted into the ground and shot towards Jasmine with unprecedented speed. He emerged from the ground just as quickly, appearing in front of the girl and driving his claws into her stomach. She let out a pained groan as she fell to one knee.

 **SOREN-1100**

 **VS**

 **JASMINE-0**

As the holograms disappeared Soren approached his opponent. Meanwhile Mindy rushed to her side.

"You alright Jasmine?" She asked as she helped Jasmine to her feet.

"Yeah I'm fine, but I lost." She replied, a slight frown forming on her face. It left as soon as she saw Soren walking towards them. As Soren reached the two he extended a hand forward.

"That was an amazing duel Jasmine. You're pretty good." Soren said, smiling lightly.

"Pretty...good? Yeah that's right, I am pretty good. You're not so bad yourself Soren, if not annoying with those Masked HERO cards of yours." Jasmine replied grasping his hand tightly. "But don't think this is the end. I want to have a rematch." Her eyes began glowing with a fiery passion that she had not shown before.

"You can count on it. As for when that happens, well, I'll leave that up to you." Soren said as they both released each others hands. "Well now I need to get going. When do the dinners end by the way?" Soren asked as his stomach growled once more.

"Dinners are over at 10:00 and then lights out at 10:15." Mindy said. Taking out his PDA once more Soren looked at the time.

9:30

 _I might just make it in time to get some food._ "Alright then I better hurry up. I'll see you both later." He said as he broke into a sprint.

Unbeknownst to Soren, another girl had watched the whole thing from the shadows. Her long, light pink twin tails flowed lightly as she wandered back inside. _How interesting. That guy is certainly strong. And I do so adore strong duelists._ She thought as the door shut silently behind her.

 **END OF CHAPTER 4**


	5. Chapter 5: Zero to Hero

Chapter 5: Zero to Hero

Soren sat upon one of the two beds in his newly assigned dorm room, rummaging through the rest of the contents in his box. It had to have been some stroke of luck that he was the only one assigned to this room. He laid the Slifer Jacket and his scarf on the other bed, making sure he folded them neatly and placed the box at the foot of his bed. He moved back and lied down upon the comfortable bed, allowing himself to feel the soft blanket and the cold pillows. Yet as comfortable as the bed was, Soren felt he didn't deserve it. He was placed in this dorm on a whim after all. As he lay his head upon the pillows, his mind began wandering back to his home in Domino City. And as it did so, memories of his mother began rushing back to him.

 _I wonder how she's doing? I hope she isn't too worried about me._ He thought as he rolled over to face the window, watching as the moonlight shone through and illuminated the darkened room. "Heh... I'm probably more worried about her than she is about me. Even so..." he said as his eyes focused on his jet black scarf. "... I have to make sure I make her proud. I owe her that much for all that she has done for me." He said to no one in particular and rolled onto his back.

 _Well no point in worrying about her now. I'm here, so I may as well try to enjoy my time. And that should be easy enough if everyone here is at least as strong as Jasmine and that Jaden guy. The fun is yet to begin._ He closed his eyes and let his mind wander once more.

 **And so he slept...**

Soren awoke to the feeling of sun on his face. He opened his eyes slowly, giving them time to adjust as he pulled himself sluggishly out of bed. Pulling the PDA out of the box, he began to go over his class schedule. _Looks like first up is Dueling Basics with Crowler. After that is... Alchemy? Why is that a class?_ He thought as he grabbed his scarf from the other bed. He slipped on the Obelisk jacket once again and wrapped his scarf around his neck, then left his room. As Soren walked through the halls of the blue dorm, he noticed that many of the other students in the dorm were either chatting with their peers or moving to the dining hall for breakfast. Having no reason to stick around, he simply continued on his way.

The sunlight shined brilliantly as Soren walked out the front door. A serene silence accompanied it as Soren walked down the empty path, a familiar sense of calm overtaking him. It was similar to the feeling he got when his mother would come home after so long, her loving smile becoming a reassurance that everything was alright. It was calming and warm, almost like the sun on this day. But even back then Soren understood just how hard she worked to do even that much, despite how exhausted she was when she got back. He sighed, wondering why his mind continued to drift there of all places. He took out the PDA and checked the time.

 _6:00 A.M_

 _Guess I must be heading out early. Which is good, but what should I do with the extra time?_ He thought as he continued on the path leading to the main gate of the school building. He walked in silence as he pondered the possibilities of what he could do. The wind began to blow gently as his stride slowed to a halt, a single thought crossing his mind in that moment.

 _I don't even know where the classroom is._ He slowly brought a hand to his face, letting out a slightly annoyed groan. _How could I forget to do something so important?_ He thought. "It's not that big a deal, I just need to do a bit of searching." He said as he felt a tap on his shoulder. Soren turned and came face-to-face with Jasmine and Mindy once again.

"Any reason you're just standing here talking to yourself?" Said Jasmine, placing a hand on her hip.

"Well I was hoping to meet an angel to walk along the path with, but a Harpy's not so bad either. " Soren said, a smug grin forming on his face.

Jasmine scowled at the pun, while Soren seemed to be quite proud of himself for.

"Might I ask where you two are heading?" He asked as Jasmine gave him an unpleasant glare.

"We were on our way to the classroom to meet up with Alexis when we saw you here." Said Mindy as she eyed him up and down. _I give him a seven out of ten._ She thought to herself.

"Which brings us back to our question. What are you doing just standing here?" Jasmine asked again.

"Well I was heading to the classroom as well, but... I don't know where that is." Soren answered plainly.

"And here I thought you had some common sense, but I guess that was asking too much." Jasmine said, shaking her head in a disapprovingly.

"I have to agree with you, it was careless of me to gloss over something so important." He replied. "With that being said, would it be alright of me to ask you two to be my guide?" He asked.

Jasmine brought a hand to her chin as she thought about it. "Maybe if you apologize for that joke you made, I'll consider it. Maybe. " She replied, steadying her gaze on Soren, as if she expected nothing less.

Soren stepped in front of Jasmine and bowed his head slightly. "My humblest apologies my dear Jasmine. I do hope you can forgive me." He said, his voice carrying a surprisingly sincere tone.

"Jeez, you don't have to be so dramatic about it. I mean it was just a joke after all." She said.

"Even so, an apology would mean nothing if there was no sincerity in it." He replied as he raised his head. "Now then, shall we be on our way?" Jasmine sighed and began walking alongside Mindy, gesturing for Soren to follow.

Soren made sure to keep a few paces behind Mindy and Jasmine as they walked, listening to bits and pieces of their conversation. Most of it consisting of this Alexis character, as well as someone named Zane. Soren let out a quiet, inaudible sigh as he placed a hand on his hip. _Is this all they talk about? I can understand liking someone's appearance, but from what I can hear that's all these two seem to care about._ He shook his head disapprovingly at that thought. _That can't be all there is to it. I must be missing some details, I mean I haven't met either of the people they are talking about._ He thought as he quickened his pace.

"So if you don't mind me asking, who exactly is this Alexis you two keep talking about?" He asked as he walked between them. The two girls looked at each other and then back to him.

"Well, we could tell you all about her..." Said Mindy as she placed a contemplative finger on her chin. "...but it would probably be easier and faster if we just introduced you to her." Jasmine finished.

"Sounds like a fair enough reason. And what about this Zane? What's the story on him?"

"Zane is the top student of the academy. His reputation as a duelist has earned him the nickname _Kaiser_." Mindy explained. "He's not only smart and a great duelist but he's totally hot!" She exclaimed.

"So he goes around calling himself an _emperor_? Doesn't that sound just a little overconfident?" Soren asked, placing his arms behind his head.

"Maybe, if he wasn't as good as everyone knows he is." Mindy retorted, as she narrowed her gaze on Soren. "But I know Zane wouldn't have any trouble beating you." She declared.

"Is that so? Then why don't we find out for ourselves?" Soren replied, his eyes radiating an aura of determination at the thought of getting a chance to go against the best of the best.

"You can't be serious about challenging Zane." Jasmine said in agreement with Mindy's declaration.

"And why not? If he's as good as you both say he is then there shouldn't be a problem with me taking him on." Soren replied, letting his arms fall back to his sides. "Besides, it's not like he's unbeatable. Everyone here has failed at something at least once. It's how we better ourselves. Not just as duelists, but as people too." The two girls looked at Soren, wondering how he had learned such a lesson. He certainly had a different way of thinking when it came to losing, and that on its own was enough to set himself apart from the rest of the Obelisks. And that trait was interesting enough to make them want to see just how sure of himself he was. That would have to wait until later.

 **For now though, it was time for class...**

Soren sat at the end seat of the same row as Jasmine, Mindy and the previously mentioned Alexis. He leaned casually on his right hand, letting his cheek rest upon it. Even though they said he should just meet her, Jasmine and Mindy have instead taken to asking the blonde beauty an array of questions. Each of them pertaining to some aspect of her personal life, a topic which she did not feel needed to be talked about on such a grand scale. _Seems like she's having fun._ Soren thought sarcastically as his hand found its way to his deck holster and removed the cards from their home at his side. He slowly looked over each individual card, wondering which adjustments he could make. As he did so, a pair of vibrant, ruby eyes gazed on from the seat directly behind him.

Her eyes focused on his deck as he went through it slowly, making mental notes of the cards she had not seen the night before. A mischievous grin formed on her face as her eyes continued scanning his cards, giving her all the information she would need to put her plan into action. Now it was simply a matter of getting him alone.

 _Not the best way to pass time, but I suppose I have a few new ideas._ He thought as he put them back in his holster. At that moment Crowler made his way to the podium at the center of the classroom. As he did so the other students settled into their seats.

"Good morning my dear students. I am Dr. Crowler and I will be your tutor in the Basics of Duel Monsters." He said with a wide, toothy grin. "Now, I'm sure that most of you here are more than familiar with the rules of the game, but it never hurts to review what you already know. With that being said, today we will start class off with a duel using two students chosen at random." He explained as the screen behind him switched on to show the pictures of all the students. One by one each picture began to disappear from the screen in a randomized fashion until only two remained visible. The two students names appeared in white text beneath their respective pictures.

 _Soren Lysander and Wisteria Fujiwara_

"And there we have our participants. Would the two students on screen please come to the front of the class?" Crowler asked enthusiastically.

 _Why am I not surprised?_ Soren thought as he rose from his seat. Certainly him being selected for this event seemed a bit too convenient to him to be a coincidence. It was almost as if someone else was orchestrating the selection process. However that would just be ridiculous, wouldn't it?

The walk down to the area around the podium was mostly quiet, the only sound being the echo of the footsteps of the two duelists. As Soren reached the bottom of the steps he caught a glimpse of Jaden sitting in the front-middle row. Soren's eyes stopped for a brief second, taking note of the surprising fact that a skilled duelist like Jaden was wearing a Slifer jacket.

 _So he's in here too? Maybe I'll have a chat with him later. For now though, it's time to duel._ Soren thought as he and Wisteria finished their descent of the stairs. The two of them took to opposite sides of the floor as Crowler had a pair of duel disks brought in. As Soren shuffled his deck he noticed the eyes of the girl across from him seemed to not break contact with his own. The vibrancy of her ruby eyes made it seem like she had been waiting for a moment like this, which seemed more unusual to Soren than the fact that she was maintaining steady eye contact with him while shuffling her own deck.

"You seem to be rather focused on something. Care to enlighten me?" Soren asked as he slid his deck into his disk.

"Oh you'll find out, but now's not the right time. For now, why don't you help me put on our little show." She said, repeating his previous motion.

"Sure I'll lend a hand, just don't get mad when I steal the spotlight." Soren adjusted his stance as he finished speaking.

"Now then, at the end of this duel I will be quizzing as many of you as possible questions pertaining to the basic rules of Duel Monsters. This exercise is to see where each of you stand among your peers, so do pay attention and try your best to answer each question correctly." Crowler explained with a sly grin as he ran his eyes over the Slifer students. "And what better duelists to use than two of my own prized Obelisks?" Soren and Wisteria raised their duel disks and drew their hand. The stage was now set, and the performers were more than ready.

 **"DUEL!"**

 **SOREN-4000 LP**

 **VS**

 **WISTERIA-4000 LP**

"I'll take the first turn, draw!" Wisteria shouted.

 **TURN ONE-WISTERIA-SIX CARDS**

"And for my first move, I play the spell card Reasoning!" She said as the card appeared on the field.

 **WISTERIA-FIVE CARDS**

"With this card's effect, you must first declare a monster level. Then I reveal cards from the top of my deck and send them to the graveyard until I find a monster that can be special summoned. However, if the monster I draw is the level you chose, then it goes to the graveyard as well." She finished.

"So you're willing to place your faith in a gamble? You must be pretty confident in your luck of the draw. I'll choose level eight!" Wisteria began revealing the cards on the top of her deck one by one. Mirror Force, Monster Gate, Mystical Space Typhoon, all sent to the grave until Wisteria finally revealed a monster card. She smirked upon seeing what she had been rewarded.

"The monster I got is Moisture Creature, a level nine. It seems you were close, but lady luck is on my side this time. Now come forth my servant!" She shouted as clouds began stirring around the field. Out of them came an alien-like creature in a spacesuit, carrying what appeared to be some kind of blaster in one hand and an umbrella in the other.

Moisture Creature- LIGHT - LVL 9 - ATK 2800/ DEF 2900

Soren whistled at the sight, having expected something lower leveled. "Well that certainly won't be easy to beat, but not impossible either." He said, awaiting her next move.

"Then I'll have to make sure not to give you an inch. I set two cards and end my turn." She said with the same confident smirk from before.

 **WISTERIA- THREE CARDS**

"For a situation like this, I think I'll need a hero, I draw!"

 **TURN TWO-SOREN-SIX CARDS**

"And that's exactly what I got, I summon Elemental HERO Ocean to the field!" He shouted as the azure and silver armored monster appeared on the field in a torrent of water, twirling its trident around its body.

Elemental HERO Ocean- WATER - LVL 4 - ATK 1500/ DEF 1200

 **SOREN-FIVE CARDS**

"And next I'll play Mask Change II. By discarding one card to the graveyard and tributing a monster on my field, I can special summon a Masked HERO from my extra deck that has the same attribute as the tributed monster. I'll discard my Elemental HERO Shadow Mist." Soren said, sliding the card into the slot. As he did so, a vortex of water began surrounding Ocean, transforming his body into something more powerful. "Appear now, Masked HERO Acid!" The water that had surrounded gradually got sucked into the nozzle of the new monsters weapon. As the last of the water disappeared from sight, Acids form was revealed to everyone.

 **SOREN-THREE CARDS**

Masked HERO Acid- WATER - LVL 8 - ATK 2600/DEF 2100

"And now both the effect of Acid and Shadow mist will activate. First, when Shadow Mist is sent to the graveyard I can add one HERO card from my deck to my hand. The one I choose is Elemental HERO Blazeman." He said, showing the card to his opponent and then adding it to his hand.

 **SOREN-FOUR CARDS**

"And next my Acids effect, when he is special summoned he destroys all of your spell and trap cards on the field. Go, _Acid Rain!"_ At Sorens' command Acid leapt into the air aiming his blaster at Wisterias back row and let loose a stream of water that dissolved her cards and sent them to the grave.

"And that's not even the best part, because when his first effect resolves he gets to activate his second effect which reduces your monsters' attack power by three hundred points." As Soren explained this Wisteria noticed her monster had been hit by the stream of water that had decimated her face-down cards. The creatures' body drooped slightly but it managed to keep itself upright.

Moisture Creature- LIGHT - LVL 9 - ATK 2500/DEF 2900

"Now Acid, take aim and attack with _Azure Assault_!" Acid lined up his second shot, still in the air after his previous assault, and let loose another shot that tore through the aliens' torso. It let out a cry of pain before bursting apart into fragments of light.

 **SOREN-4000 LP**

 **VS**

 **WISTERIA-3900 LP**

"I'll place one card face-down, and that'll end my turn." He said, lowering his disk.

 **SOREN-THREE CARDS**

 _He certainly has skill, but I won't be able to see his real strength with this deck._ "My turn, draw!"

 **TURN THREE-WISTERIA-FOUR CARDS**

"And once more, I'll activate Reasoning. Now take your pick." She said.

"I'll go with eight once more." Soren watched as three more cards were revealed and sent to the grave. Torrential Tribute, Dust Tornado, and Swords of Revealing Light. Wisteria held up her drawn monster card with a smile. "Blowback Dragon, a level six monster. Seems you're having a string of bad luck. Come forth my monster!" A dragon-like machine arose from the card frame in a cloak of shadows, its vaguely gun-like head towering over Sorens' Acid.

Blowback Dragon- DARK - LVL 6 - ATK 2300/DEF 1200

"Blowback Dragon's effect will now activate..." Wisteria started as a coin manifested itself in her palm. "...I'll toss this coin three times. If at least two of the toss's are heads, I can destroy a card my opponent controls." She finished and flicked the coin skyward. Soren watched as the coin landed, revealing the first result to be Heads. "There's one, now let's see number two." Again it flew and landed just as quickly revealing another Heads. "And that's that, so say goodbye to your monster!"

 _Here it comes._ Soren thought as Wisteria's monster readied itself. The monster's gun-like head began to glow with a blinding light energy. Acid took a defensive stance as the beam came crashing down upon his form.

"Now attack Soren directly, _Blowback Stream!"_ The light beam continued its assault past Acid and overtook Soren's body.

 **SOREN-1700 LP**

 **VS**

 **WISTERIA-3900 LP**

"I'll end my turn at that." She said.

"It's my turn, I draw!"

 **TURN FOUR-SOREN-FOUR CARDS**

 _I have to get rid of that Blowback Dragon or its effect will keep tearing through my cards, especially since Wisteria seems to be just as lucky as she is confident. In that case..._ He thought as he grabbed the card he just drew. "From my hand, I play the spell card, A Hero Lives!" Soren shouted. "Here's how it works. Since I don't have any face-up monsters on my field, by paying half my life points..." A dark aura engulfed his body at that moment, draining his life points even further.

 **SOREN-850 LP**

 **VS**

 **WISTERIA-3900 LP**

"...I can special summon a level four or lower Elemental HERO from my deck. The one I choose is Elemental HERO Shadow Mist." Out of the spell card's frame came the black armored hero with long, dark hair that twinkled even more brilliantly in the light of the classroom.

Elemental HERO Shadow Mist- DARK - LVL 4 - ATK 1000/DEF 1500

"And when she's special summoned I can grab a Change quick-play from my deck and add it to my hand." He explained, revealing the Form Change to Wisteria before adding it to his hand.

 **SOREN-FOUR CARDS**

"Next, I normal summon Blazeman!" The fiery monster erupted to life beside Shadow Mist, embers falling slowly off of his body as he settled into a fighting stance.

Elemental HERO Blazeman- FIRE - LVL 4 - ATK 1200/DEF 1800

"Blazeman's effect! When he is normal or special summoned, I can add one Polymerization card from my deck to my hand." The designated card was promptly ejected from the deck and into Soren's hand.

 **SOREN-FIVE CARDS**

"Next up, by using Blazeman's effect I can send one Elemental Hero from my deck to the graveyard and make his Attribute, Attack and Defense the same as that monster!" The images of all the available hero cards in Soren's deck appeared before him. _Now is the time to bring him out._ "I send Bubbleman to the graveyard and make Blazeman's attribute water until the end of this turn." The scorching flames upon Blazeman's head turned to chilling water as Soren finished his explanation.

Elemental HERO Blazeman- WATER - LVL 4 - ATK 800/DEF 1200

"So you've managed to summon two weak monsters, and even weaken one of them. Am I supposed to be impressed?" She asked, a skeptical gaze falling on Blazeman's new form.

"They may be weak now, but not after I play the spell card Polymerization!" He said as he danced the card dexterously between his fingers before placing it in the card slot.

 **SOREN-FOUR CARDS**

"I'll use it to fuse Shadow Mist with my now Water Attribute Blazeman!" The two monsters leapt into the orange and blue portal, swirling and merging together. "The warrior of the Winter winds will descend now, to stand at my side and freeze all who would oppose us." An icy wind began to stir, sending a chill through each student in the room as the new monster began to emerge in a flurry of snowflakes. "Appear now, my favorite monster, Elemental HERO Absolute Zero!" The snowflakes danced around the monsters form as it rose slowly to tower over both duelists, its piercing emerald eyes locking themselves firmly on Wisteria's lone monster.

Elemental HERO Absolute Zero- WATER - LVL 8 - ATK 2500/DEF 2000

"How's that for impressive?"

"Not bad, but I feel like I expected a bit more." She said, crossing her arms.

"Well the fun's not over yet, Battle! Zero attacks Blowback with _Frigid Blast!"_ Zero charged forward and slammed his palm against Blowback. For a moment, nothing happened. "And now I play my face-down, the quick-play spell Battle Fusion!" Soren shouted as a mass of ice cold energy suddenly shot out from Zero's open palm. "With Battle Fusion's effect, I add your monster's attack power to mine!" Blowback Dragon's torso was pierced by an array of icicles that now protruded from Zero's hand. Zero leapt back to Soren's side of the field and snapped its fingers, prompting to the mass to explode into sharp fragments, rending the machine's form to pieces.

 **SOREN-850**

 **VS**

 **WISTERIA-1400**

"And, in case you thought I was finally done, I activate Form Change from my hand! I send Absolute Zero back to the extra deck to special summon a Masked Hero with the same level as him, which in this case is eight!" Soren finished, and a golden light engulfed Zero's body.

 **SOREN-THREE CARDS**

"Now come on out, Masked HERO Dian!" The light that had overtaken Zero burst apart, revealing the shining armor of the warrior of earth.

Masked HERO Dian- EARTH - LVL 8 - ATK 2800/DEF 3000

"Now we finish this, attack Wisteria directly with _Terra Slash!_ " Leveling the tip of his blade with his target's stomach, Dian descended upon his opponent and plunged his sword into her. Wisteria let out a cry of exaggerated pain and stumbled back as Dian returned to Soren just as quickly.

 **SOREN-850**

 **VS**

 **WISTERIA-0**

"Looks like it's my win." Soren said as his monster disappeared from sight. Wisteria sighed as her duel disk deactivated and strode over to Soren, intent on setting her plan into motion.

"You certainly showed me what you're capable of, it was a good duel." She said.

"I'll say..." He extended his hand. "...you were pretty good yourself Wisteria." She accepted the handshake with a bright smile, and managed to slip something into Soren's hand at the same time. She released his hand as Crowler made his way to the front of the class.

"That was a marvelous display of skill, as expected of duelists of your caliber. Now, you both may return to your seats." Crowler said. Although his thoughts didn't entirely agree with his words, having now lost to a Hero deck himself. He certainly fostered some animosity towards the archetype since it was used to humiliate him in front of so many people. And that was a feeling he wouldn't soon forget.

As the two made their way back up the steps Soren felt something crinkle in his palm. Opening it up revealed a folded piece of paper. _Where did this come from?_ He thought as his gaze went back up to Wisteria. She turned to meet his eyes and answered his internal question with a wink before turning back and continuing her ascent up the steps. Step one was completed, and step two would follow soon after.

 **END OF CHAPTER 5**

 **WELL, OVER TWO MONTHS LATER AND IT'S FINALLY HERE. SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG, BUT HEY, THINGS HAPPEN SOMETIMES THAT DON'T GIVE ME AS MUCH TIME AS I'D LIKE TO WRITE THIS. I HOPE YOU ALL UNDERSTAND. AND JUST AS A LITTLE REASSURANCE TO THOSE OF YOU WONDERING IF THIS WILL STILL CONTINUE TO BE WRITTEN, THE ANSWER IS YES. I'M NOT GONNA STOP WRITING THIS UNTIL IT'S FINISHED, SO LOOK FORWARD TO EVEN MORE IN THE FUTURE.**


	6. Chapter 6: Goddess of Blue

Chapter 6: Goddess of Blue

A sigh of relief escaped Soren's lips as the last of the classes came to an end. He remained seated next to his friends, watching as a majority of students began to leave. Even though it was only the first day of classes, Soren already felt bored just having to sit through them. _Isn't this supposed to be a school for Elite Duelists? Why are we being retaught the basics?_ He thought as he turned to face his acquaintances, and as he did he noticed Wisteria getting up to leave as well.

Seeing her reminded him of their earlier duel, as well as her sudden interest in him. Wisteria bade him farewell with a sultry smile, her twin tails swaying lightly as she continued on her way toward the door. Soren remembered the piece of paper that she had managed to slip into his palm earlier as he watched her leave the room.

His eyes narrowed in anticipation as he took it out of his pocket. As he unfolded the white sheet, his gaze settled on the small chunk of neat, eloquently written text. _Something so beautifully written must have taken quite a bit of time to put together,_ he thought as his gaze trailed over the text.

As he continued to read his suspicion of what was to come only deepened itself. It was a simple enough letter that requested his presence later that night at a certain location, but it was the location Wisteria had picked that confirmed Soren's suspicion, _Girl's Dorm._

 _So she wants to see me again in front of the Girl's Dorm tonight? Yeah, this sounds like a great idea._ He brought a hand to his chin, mulling over what possible motives a girl he just met would have for setting up such an elaborate meeting. _Well whatever she wants to see me for, there must be a reason she couldn't just say it in this note._ Any further thoughts he might've had were cut short as Jasmine snapped her fingers to get his attention.

"You gonna sit there all day? Come on, we want to introduce you to Alexis." She said, pulling his arm lightly.

"If you wanted to hold my arm all you had to do was ask." He said. Jasmine tightened her grip at the comment, eliciting a quiet gasp of pain from Soren, and continued pulling him along.

Soren looked forward to see the blonde girl beside Mindy. "So you must be the goddess these two worship." He said jokingly as he extended his hand.

"I wouldn't really call myself a goddess..." Said the blonde beauty with her soft, sweet sounding voice as she returned Soren's gesture. "...but you can call me Alexis." She finished as her hand firmly grasped his own.

 _She certainly seems humble, despite the high praises Mindy and Jasmine were giving her._ "And you can call me Soren. I must say you're a bit different from what I've heard of you. Certainly more down to Earth than I was expecting."

"That just makes me wonder what these two have been saying about me." She replied, crossing her arms.

"Oh, they didn't really say anything regarding you're personality. They mostly went on and on about your appearance. Now I see they weren't exaggerating." Soren said as he felt a sudden chill ran down his spine. Even without turning to look at them, he could tell that the two girls behind him were most likely glaring daggers at him.

"Don't worry, aside from the feeling that something _unpleasant_ might happen to me if I started chatting you up, you don't strike me as a girl who worries too much about finding a relationship." He finished in an attempt to avoid an untimely demise. He wasn't too sure of what Mindy might do to him if he tried sweet talking Alexis, but he had a feeling that Jasmine would have no problem introducing him to the ground.

"You're right about that, I'm more concerned with honing my skills as a duelist. Speaking of which, your earlier duel was rather interesting." She said.

"Really? Then I must have put on an exciting display of skill!" He said with a proud smile.

"Not exactly." Alexis replied. "It has more to do with the cards you were using."

"Yeah, in case you didn't know, you're using a deck that everyone saw take on an Ancient Gear Golem and win!" Chimed Mindy, as she and Jasmine stepped beside Alexis.

"A similar one yes, but Jaden's deck isn't bad either, if a bit unbalanced." Soren's casual mention of the boys name seemed to earn the curious gazes of the three girls standing before him. "What? Is there something wrong with me?" He said, examining himself for any abnormalities.

"You mean aside from your silver tongue?" Jasmine asked dryly under her breath. She cleared her throat and began to speak audibly. "I didn't know you were friends with that guy." She said looking to where he sat.

"Saying we're friends might be stretching it a little." Soren replied.

"Well if you're not friends, what are you?" Asked Mindy.

"'Rivals' maybe? I mean I did lose to him, so of course that means I want to duel him again." Soren answered casually, looking down toward the front row of seats where the other hero sat, conversing and laughing with a short, blue-haired boy and another Slifer student that Soren could only describe as large as he couldn't see his face.

"And what did you think about that Wisteria girl?" Asked Mindy.

"She seemed... interesting to say the least. She was certainly lucky, if nothing else. Although now that you mention it, she was acting rather friendly toward me, considering we'd just met." Soren answered.

"You hear that Jasmine? _F_ _riendly_." She repeated that word with emphasis. Jasmine did not react to Mindy's teasing, but instead shot Soren a glare that said _I will get you for this._ He smiled innocently at her and gave Mindy a thumbs-up, a motion which she returned. Alexis simply sighed at the event that was taking place before her and the group began to walk toward the exit.

As they walked the path leading out the main gate the three girls took to conversing among themselves, while Soren stared into the distance. Sorens classes were finished for now, but he still had one more thing to take care of before the day was done.

 **CHAPTER 6 END**


	7. Chapter 7: A Frail Light

**NOTICE: After uploading this particular chapter, I decided I still don't like how it turned out, so it will be revised and replaced in the near future. Apologies if you, for some reason, liked this version.**

Chapter 7: A Frail Light

Soren glimpsed the short figure by the edge of the lake, its previous call still echoing in his ears. The voice of the figure came once again, its voice now clearer and more childish sounding than before, as its head turned from the waters surface, carrying an unexpected question. "Can you see me?" The voice asked, hints of timidity and uncertainty in its tone. What kind of question was that? Of course he could see her, but Soren didn't seem to fully understand the significance that was carried with being able to perceive her. He slowed his stride so that he stood across from the figure and lowered his gaze so that it met a head of short, white hair and a pair of ivory eyes- eyes that seemed to plead for help.

When he looked back to the path he had been walking he saw that he was now alone by the waters edge. Further down the path were the girls he had been walking with since the end of class earlier, seemingly unaware that he was no longer behind them. Soren let out a resigned sigh and looked back to the small girl, her eyes still full of worry. Something about her appearance seemed familiar as he examined her more closely. The realization of who she was came as suddenly as the realization of what she was. Lyna, a spell caster type monster card that Soren had seen numerous times when he first started playing the game, alongside the others of her ilk.

 _A spirit? Why is she here?_ Soren thought as he approached her. He knew that, while slightly unusual, it wasn't uncommon to see card spirits without a duelist. However when he did, it usually led him to draw one of two conclusions as to why they were alone. Either they were dropped or lost by people who couldn't keep track of their belongings, which was the most common of the two, or they were purposefully discarded, usually by an inept duelist who blamed their cards for their mistakes. He sat beside her, watching as the doubt left her eyes. In its absence he could see a small, hopeful smile begin to take form.

"So, care to tell me what's on your mind?" He asked, as he casually lay on his back. Lyna seemed relieved when he finally spoke.

"Well..." she began and gestured to her transparent foot where three cards lay. "...would you believe me if I said I've been here since yesterday." She said as her demeanor grew despondent once again.

"Maybe." he replied as he took the cards into his hands and wiped the small amount of dirt away from them. "Seems to me like you weren't wanted." He said, giving the text of each card a quick read.

"I guess not..." Her gaze turned downcast. Soren waited for her to continue her story, but it seemed as though she didn't want to. He sat up and pulled out his cards, selecting three to swap for the three he just picked up. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Making space, I want to see if I can make you work in this deck." He stated plainly.

"Are you sure about that? Wouldn't that throw off the balance?" She asked as if she were trying to talk him out of doing such a thing.

"Not really, a lot of the cards I have can be used with a variety of other monsters, so you should work fairly well with them. Besides, I wouldn't feel right if I just left you here alone." He said as he shuffled his deck. Her smile returned, slightly brighter than before.

"Do you think I'll be any good?" She asked, still feeling anxious about her own potential.

"We'll have to find out on our own, right? It's not like I have anything to lose if you're not compatible with my hero deck. If you don't work here, I can just build a spell caster deck and put you in there." He said as he rose from the ground. "Sorry if that wasn't what you wanted to hear, but I don't wanna give you any false hope. Whether or not this change ends up working will depend on my aptitude as duelist. Either way, I look forward to working with you, Lyna." He extended his hand and gave her confident look. When she tried to return the gesture her hand simply passed through his.

"Oh right, forgot about that for a second." He said, eliciting a light chuckle from the Ivory Maiden.

 **And so they walked to the Dorm...**

Soren lay on his bed, waiting patiently for night to arrive."I hope Lyna is getting along with everyone _._ " He said as he rolled onto his side.

"I wouldn't worry about that." A cold, monotone voice said as his transparent form appeared at the edge of Soren's bed. Soren sat up slowly, making contact with the piercing, emerald eyes of Absolute Zero.

"Oh Zero, I was wondering where you had gone. I mean, I know I told you guys to leave me alone on the exam day, but I was worried you all actually left. " Soren said as he planted his feet on the floor and reached toward his box of things, pulling out the crimson blazer.

"You know we have no where else to be." Zero stoically reminded Soren as he watched him stride towards the window.

"Of course I know that. I was just joking with you." Soren said as he began to examine himself closely in the reflection of the glass, running his fingers through his scarlet hair. "So, any particular reason I shouldn't worry about our new companion?" Soren asked.

Zero softened his gaze."Well, you'll be happy to know that Koga and Shining are trying to make her feel welcome."

"Trying?" Soren asked as he readjusted his hair.

"She doesn't seem very confident in herself, so it's been a bit difficult to get her to open up. We are getting there though, slowly." Zero explained.

Soren slipped on the Slifer jacket and adjusted his treasured scarf to match his new style. He turned to Zero with a confident grin. "What do you think, Zero? Personally, I feel black and red compliment each other nicely." He said with a satisfied smile.

"I think you're avoiding the issue" He replied coldly. "How do you plan on rectifying this problem?" Zero asked, a hint of annoyance in his tone.

Soren let out a sigh. "I don't think this is a problem I can simply fix." Soren explained as he holstered his deck and grabbed his disk.

Zero let out an exasperated sigh. "Then what are you going to do?" He asked.

"I'm not even sure if there's anything I _can_ do. I'll need a bit of time to think on it." And with that Zero retreated back to the deck and Soren made for the door.

The halls of the blue dorm were mostly quiet, save for the echo of Sorens footsteps. Now that he was mostly alone with his thoughts, he began to think of what he could do for Lyna. _Zero doesn't seem to see that the issue is more complex than her simply being uncomfortable around us. She was left out there for a reason._ He thought as he rounded a corner. _T_ _he event has likely instilled in her mind that she simply isn't wanted because she thinks she's incapable as a monster card_ _._ He thought as he opened the door leading outside.

 _It's likely her previous duelist didn't know how to use her properly and got rid of her out of frustration. That or she was dropped and they either didn't care enough to look for her or haven't noticed she's missing yet._ Soren stopped his thoughts for a second, to make sure he wasn't getting worked up over nothing. I _can't make assumptions like this without having all of the necessary information. The best thing I can do for her is prove that she can be a valuable asset._

There was still a large amount of time before curfew, as indicated by the still visible setting sun. _And I think I know just how to do that._

 **CHAPTER 7 END**

 **QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT, YOU CAN NOW FOLLOW MY TWITTER FOR REGULAR UPDATES ON WHEN THE STORY IS BEING WORKED ON AND ALSO MY TWITCH WHERE I'LL BE DOING SOME CHILL STREAMS WHERE I BASICALLY JUST INTERACT WITH YOU GUYS(I'LL ANNOUNCE WHEN I GO LIVE ON TWITTER). LINKS FOR BOTH ARE IN MY PROFILE PAGE, BUT IF YOU'D RATHER DO NEITHER THAN THAT'S ALSO FINE.**


	8. Update Chapter: Future Plan

**TL;DR AT THE BOTTOM IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ MY RAMBLING.**

Hey, you might be wondering what happened to this story in between all of my empty promises that it would continue at some point. Well now you're going to find out. Before I get started though, I'd like to say that I'm truly sorry for the radio silence after chapter sevens release. I tried to think of ways to fix what I'm going to talk about below, but I just couldn't find a solution that didn't involve me cancelling this story and starting over. I am by no means a "good writer" in my honest opinion, but I do love to write and I want to continue doing so, that's why I'm making this post. I'm going to try to keep this relatively short since I don't want to drone on, so forgive me in advance if this ends up being a lengthy update. With that being said, I'll start by questioning myself.

So why did I stop? Well, I started to hate what I was writing. I'll be honest, I put a couple of things into the story that weren't going to go anywhere, specifically Wisteria and the card spirits. Sure, I could've taken those chapters down and rewritten them, but I also wasn't happy with how I'd started the story. It just felt a bit too easy, if that makes any sense, a guy with no friends just stumbling into two girls and then he just kinda hangs around them until they become friends just wasn't doing it for me. In addition to all of that, I just didn't want to write anything out of fear of disappointing someone, though I realize now that doing nothing was probably more disappointing to some of you than if I had produced a sub-par chapter. Regardless, I apologize for that as well. And last but not least, I lost sight of what I had even wanted to write. At one point I wasn't even thinking about the romance part of the two genres, which was kinda why I started writing this thing in the first place. What can I say, I'm a sucker for romance stories. So there you have it, I started hating the story because I lost focus and tried to put in too many ideas that were going to amount to nothing.

So, is this story going to continue? Well, yes and no. I have decided that I want to start over and possibly do a better job. Now that might sound disappointing, but hear me out. As much as I have grown to hate this version of my story, I'd rather start again than delete this one. Why? As a reminder to myself of what I should and shouldn't put in my future projects. That's not to say that I'm not going to fuck up again though, after all no story is without flaws. But I am certainly going to try my best to get further than seven chapters this time around.

But it's still so early in the story, are you sure you want to do this? Absolutely. It's certainly not the easiest course of action but it's the one that I feel is best for me and the story I want to tell. I've already started working on a revised first chapter that I think you'll like. I'm not going to give away anything significant, just know that I'm giving Soren a more believable reason to go to Duel Academy as opposed to him simply loving Duel Monsters. The only thing you really need to know about this story is that it's going to be running basically parallel to the actual GX story with maybe some intersecting points here and there. For the most part though, I just want to do my own thing. Is that good or bad? I have no clue, but hopefully whatever I produce doesn't turn out to be awful.

Okay, what about the frequency of chapter releases? That is unfortunately going to have to be a "I'll release them when they're finished" situation. In addition to writing, I'm not particularly good with schedules unless I absolutely _have_ to be(which is just my way of saying I'm a lazy piece of garbage). I obviously can't be working on this all the time, I do have real world obligations after all.

What's the title of this "new" story then? I'm glad you asked because I'm not entirely sure what I want it to be. I was thinking of just calling it "Yu-Gi-OH GX Alternative" since it's basically going to be an alternate story. It gets straight to the point and isn't too long, so I think it works fine. Although if anyone has a better sounding title and wants to tell me, feel free to shoot me a PM and I'll take it under consideration. And speaking of PMs, if you have any further questions(or if you simply want to chat), do not hesitate to message me. I'll make sure to always respond, even if I sometimes miss a message the day it's sent.

 **TL;DR THIS STORY IS BEING CANCELLED AND WILL BE REWRITTEN WITH A NEW TITLE, SO BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR IT! HOPE YOU HAVE A NICE DAY/NIGHT/WHATEVER DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU LIVE!**


End file.
